September 2008 Columns Magazine - Letters to the Editor

Not Forgotten
As I read your introductory materials on "Our Wondrous One Hundred," I thought to myself, "I know one person who ought to be in there but won't be: Bud Hawk." Your article totally surprised me, bringing tears to my eyes when I found his photo on page 44. He was included after all! I know that Mr. Hawk risked his life and is rightfully described as a military hero, but it was his kindness to me in 1968-69 as my sixth-grade teacher for which I'll remember him. He saw right through my shyness and fear as a transfer student that year. His ramrod-straight posture and commanding voice were paired with a smile and sparkling eyes. He loved teaching and helped instill a lifelong love of learning in me through his excitement about the world and everything we know-and don't know-about it. So thanks to you for including Mr. Hawk-he's always been in my top-10 list, and I'm glad to know that he made your "Wondrous One Hundred."

Crew Cut
It was no doubt your policy to honor only the living and not also the dead in your "Wondrous One Hundred" spread in the June 2008 Columns. But perhaps it was a disservice to leave out one of the living simply because he could not be there the day that picture was taken. Andy Hovland, '59, who rowed No. 7 in the UW '58 crew that went to the Henley Regatta in England and then on to triumph in Russia, should have been standing between John Sayre and Lou Gellermann at the left, hopefully holding a starboard oar. The other absentee, Dick Erickson, '59, who rowed No. 2 in the '58 Henley-Russia boat, passed away in 2001 after a distinguished career that included 20 years as the UW's rowing coach. But he wasn't really absent; as the picture was snapped he was looking down on the scene from his brass plaque on the shellhouse wall.

Where Are the Black Women?
After looking through the alumni selected as the "Wondrous One Hundred," I was very disappointed that only one black woman [Shirley Malcom, '67] appears in the group. Is it that our contributions to society as a whole have been lacking, or is it the same dismissive tone toward black women that existed when I attended the University in the early '80s? I believe I counted 10 black men. I find it amazing that we, as black women, matriculated in greater numbers but are somehow outnumbered 10-to-1 in terms of recognition. I do not want another generation of black women who attend the UW to end up being dismissed when the next commemorative edition is published and the next group of "extraordinary graduates" is selected.

Time Lapse
Your "Wondrous One Hundred" was fascinating reading. However, page 30 of the anniversary issue deserves a second look. My high school and college classmate, Bob Houbregs, appears to have been thrust into a campus time warp. It was 1952, not 1958 as you state, when the Huskies missed the NCAA tournament, and it was 1953, not 1959, when they earned third place nationally (after getting fifth place in 1951).

Editor's Note: Mike Dederer is correct. Bob Houbregs did graduate from the UW in 1959, but that was after several years as a professional basketball player. We regret the error.

The Plane Fact
The statement in the June 2008 issue of Columns that "the CRJ-700 is too big" for Pullman-Moscow Regional Airport (PUW) is not correct ["First Take"]. The WSU CRJ-700 Horizon Air jet has already used PUW. In fact, on March 8, after the UW-WSU men's basketball game, the Husky men's basketball team flew from the Pullman-Moscow Regional Airport to Seattle on Horizon's WSU jet. PUW is rated for aircraft up to Boeing 737 and Airbus A319.

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